Day 55: Capstone

This past week has been very busy, stressful, and at times frustrating. We have come towards the tail end of training which the Army dubs as the "capstone" exercise which signifies the culmination of our training experience. All of the knowledge gained from class work and mild-mannered training exercises these past 6 weeks have now come together into a series of "missions" which our team will be required to complete. At the same time, the concept of TEAM will be tested as many of us are growing weary of being away from our families, and being forced to live in the same room together!

Using a computer simulator as a planning tool for our upcoming missions...what a nerd am I!

This past week our "mission" was to investigate terrorist activity in a nearby village and to apprehend a HVT or "high value target" who has been responsible for multiple attacks on US forces. This "mission" was to be completed alongside our Afghan Army counterparts as we were merely an advisor team. This "mission" evaluated our team's ability to effectively plan and execute a "cordon & search" operation, and coordinate a raid operation. I once again found myself asking, "What in the world does all of this have to do with me?".

The cool thing is that the whole training exercise required a large number of Dari speaking actors playing the various roles of villagers, terrorists, and Afghan counterparts. There was a real-life Afghan village where we conducted our "mission". There was some pyrotechnics to mimic the sound of indirect gunfire which added a little stress to the situation. Different villagers and Afghan soldiers ended up "wounded" so I was able to perform some combat life saver skills. I wish I had some cool action pictures to share, but there was never an opportunity for a decent photo op...sorry!

At the end of it all we somehow made it through our exercise, not necessarily with flying colors, but with enough flare to hold our heads up high! What our instructors had emphasized as a strength was that we not only worked well within our own team, but we also worked well alongside our host nation counterparts during the scenarios.

To answer my question, "What in the world does all of this have to do with me?". Even though I won't be kicking down doors and catching the bad guys...my mission as a physician will not be any different than a supply officer, infantry soldier, artillery soldier, tanker, nurse, clinic administrator, pharmacist, or pilot. To leave behind an Afghanistan that is better than when I first found it.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all that are in the house." Matthew 5:14,15 NASB